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Demons
Demons '''are a humanoid race coexisting with humans, possessed of superhuman speed, strength, and regenerative abilities. In their true forms, they have white hair, golden eyes, pointed ears, and a number of small white horns between two and four. Even in their normal guises, however, they are still much more powerful than humans. Little is known of the species's origins, history, or exact variations, although the existence of demons from the West (hinted to be vampires through the symptoms of furies) is mentioned. At some point, a powerful demon known as '''Shuten-doji was killed, and both his arms preserved in Princess Sen's village, Yase. Culturally, demons value honesty highly, and are rarely known to tell lies or break promises. In HakuMyu Kazama-hen, it is revealed that there is a taboo against fighting between demons, possibly to preserve their numbers. Additionally, even those few demons who involve themselves with humans prefer staying out of human history. Those who stray from this path are exiled from their clans, such as Kazama, as (on Hijikata's route) he comes to value revenge on the Shinsengumi more highly than leading his people. Though this behavior appears to be regarded among demons as common sense in the original, it is officially codified in Hakuōki: Kyoto Winds ''and ''Edo Blossoms as the Demon Code. These laws forbid involvement with humankind, killing other demons, and breaking vows on pain of exile. Besides this, male demons are also shown to have a preoccupation with protecting the females of their kind, as they are both rarer and weaker than the men of their race. By the beginning of the story, most demons in Japan have disappeared into hiding to avoid persecution by humans in search of power. However, certain clans were taken under various domains' protection following the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, and their leaders must partake of human politics to repay the debt. Similarly, the people of Yase''' have been symbiotically affiliated with the imperial court since the 1300s (according to the "A Meeting of Demons" DLC). Other notable demonic families in Japan include the Kazama, Amagiri, Shiranui, Yukimura, and Nagumo families.' Gallery Kodo-demon.png Amagiri-demon.png Shiranui-demon.png Kazama-demon.png Kaoru-demon.png Sen-demon.png Trivia * In ''Kyoto Winds ''and ''Edo Blossoms, the common noun "demon" is rendered "Demon". * According to Kazama, only one out of every five demons is female. * There is some discrepancy between the level of involvement demons are permitted to have in human affairs between Stories of the Shinsengumi ''and Kyoto Winds/''Edo Blossoms. ''In the former, demons appear to have a cultural standard of aloofness, but Shiranui and the people of Yase are still allowed to subvert this through voluntary association with humans. However, in the latter two, demons (and those with demon powers, such as Iba) are actively forbidden from affecting human politics in any way. ** This makes the exact limits of the Demon Code somewhat unclear and possibly inconsistent, as some clan leaders must break it in order to repay their debts, and at least two more (Shiranui and Chizuru) associate freely with humans of historical importance with no consequences. ** This discrepancy may stem from the ''Kyoto Winds/''Edo Blossoms'' continuity adopting certain elements of the game Shall We Date: Demons' Bond, stated to be a distant prequel to Hakuōki ''(but produced by a different company). In this game, demons have an expanded array of magical powers and a much more isolationist political stance as regards humanity. * Though Kazama claims that female demons have the stamina of human women in his ''Edo Blossoms route, Kimigiku and Sen are evenly matched in combat with Kodo and Kaoru, respectively, on Sanan's route. * It is often stated in-game that demons "disappear", but this description may be taken as a figure of speech. However, in the anime, demons have the ability to teleport, and the language is clarified in Kyoto Winds ''and ''Edo Blossoms to be more literal as well. * Demons are susceptible to human illness, as Chizuru falls ill during one of Saito's Memories of Love. She attributes her quick recovery to being a doctor's daughter, but this is more likely due to her demon heritage. Category:Races